Many load cells have been developed over the years that employ sensing means such as strain gage for measuring the amount of load applied to an object. Such load cells commonly operate on the principle of sensing strain induced by the load therein by sensing means such as strain gages secured to the load cell that have been calibrated to provide an output signal indicative of the load upon the object.
In cases where strain gages are employed, one or more are commonly secured to the load cell and coupled into a Wheatstone bridge arrangement that is located and electrically powered remotely from the cell. Such load cells often include the Wheatstone bridge coupling arrangement mounted directly thereon and include means such as connectors for conveying electric power to the Wheatstone bridge and for conveying the output signal therefrom that is indicative of the load applied to the object through the load cell.
A recent example of a load cell for measuring loads applied to an object is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,329, the disclosure of which is included herein by reference. Although similar in some respects to the load cell of the present invention, the subject load cell has a complex configuration that appears to be costly to manufacture.
In contrast, the load cell of the present invention differs from prior art load cells in many respects as hereinafter described in addition to having a configuration that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.